It's out in R4 and the cover is different. The close-up of Fozzie has been replaced with a picture of the Muppet Show cast sitting in the theatre seats.

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Fine idea, but dreadful Photoshopping on that new cover. It's all so cut-and-paste monkeywork farmed out to a low cost designer. I'd really like to see the Disney artists get their hands on this stuff. Well, if there are any left. Anyway, that picture appears on the inside of the DVD sets for the US version. Interesting that it was changed only in Australia. Thanks for sharing that.

If there were a new Muppet series in the works, can't you just see her doing a sketch? Those "back in St. Olaf" stories she told on the Golden Girls (with the Scandanavian names and various livestock) reminded me a little of the Chef's sketches. Something tells me she could easily speak mock Swedish with the best of them.

Just listen to this story. Isn't that just a perfect scenario for a Muppet sketch or what? (Insert Lew Zealand smiley here).

And I agree, I'm ready for Season 4, too! When the heck is Season 4 coming out? Let's hope that Disney doesn't pull a "Fraggle Box Set" stunt on us.

Season 3 was really good My highlights were the episode 7 on disc 2 featuring Alice Cooper & episode 4 featuring Gilda Radner of course there is so much more fun offered but those were my standd outs of course Animal stealing every scene he is in as usual. I love the Boxes the fact they made them look like the characters & the feel of the material they used.I own all 3 seasons & I enjoy them all & I am forever great full to Jim Henson who was way ahead of his time with his unlimited imagiation & of course Frank Oz, always remember you cant have a good show without a great cast of memorable charecters.I hope they bring back this show & I am looking forward to season 4 & hopefully Animal will grace the cover on this one.

Well, I'd like to share my thoughts on the set. It's really great. I'll review the epsidoes in orde,r one disc at a time.

Disc 1 epsiodes:

Kris Kristofferson & Rita Coolidge - five stars.
This is the perfect season premiere, it's so jam-packed with backstage, canteen, and on-stage antics. Nothing in this episode is bad, but the highlights are the canteen scenes, Gonzo's act, Muppet Labs, and New York State of Mind(evn though that's from an earleir episode). I was surprised to see Steve Whitmire's name in the credits, since he's said that the Alice Cooper episode was his first performance (and he's not credited again until there). I guess it's possible he auditioned in that one and didn't get officially hired until later, and just forgot, but I doubt it. I guess maybe he performed in something that was added to this epsidoe in post production. Also, when I first read the epsidoe page at kermitage, I thought the canteen presense was the plot, but the three canteen scenes don't have anything in common, and there's no reference to it opening in that epsiode (Gladys says the soup du jour is the same as usual). Cool thing: There are many episodes where Kermit goes to the speaker to call characters on-stage, but is this the only epsidoe where his vocie is heard off-screen?

Leo Sayer - three stars.
This episode focuses more on the plot, with Leo Sayer's scenes being the majority of sketches with no connection to the plot. All three of his numbers are enjoyable, but the rest is bland in comparrison. Nitpick: Was Jerry Nelson absent from most of this episode? All we hear from him is a brief chuckle from Crazy Harry, and his voice in the chorus. He doesn't even perform any incidential speaking parts (like the rock). Could this be the episode he mentioend in a quote in The Works, where he went to a script read-through with nothing to do?

Roy Clark - four stars
The show has it's first country singing guest, and while I don't like country, most of the muppet show's country guests were great on the show. The backstage plot is good, as is Pigs in Space, and Clark's first and last numbers are great. Still, while the opening number has cool graphics (making it more appropriate for The Jim Henson Hour), it's a shame that the jugband members don't make comments regarding Clark's playing. Nitpicks: I won der if Kermit would have really fired Fozzie over the fire. Fozzie learned of the fire just seconds after Kermit threatened to fire him, and it obviously wasn't Fozzie's fault (I think it came from the canteen). Somethign else I noticed: In the openign number, Gramps played the tambourine instead of the fiddle, but when Clark replaces him, Clark plays the fiddle.Cool thing: Three of Jim Henson's characters appear backstage alongside Kermit. I guess they needed live hand characters, but it would have been great if Bunsen, Beaker, and Gladys were there as well.

Gilda Radner - five stars
This is a classic episode. With the exception of the carrot number and uk spot, the whole episode is enjoyable. It has many things for the hardcore fans (including Marvin Suggs and Uncle Deadley), the super glue plot is funny, and the closing number is the best. Minor Nitpick: Zoot appears to be the only character to get unstuck in this epsidoe. He gets his saxaphone stuck in his mouth, then he's seen with it out in the backstage scene leading to the closing number, and he gets it out at the end of the closing number.

Pearl Bailey - three stars.
I don't care much for this episode, aside from Muppet Labs (though the closing number is growing on me). I don't really care for the plot, the Pigs in Space sketch freaked me out when I first saw it, and I first saw this on Nickelodeon, where Muppet Labs was cut.

Jean Stapleton - five stars.
A good epsidoe for fans of Annie Sue, and after watchign this, I was she was made as an action figure. Both of her numbers were great, and I really like the dark green background in the UK spot. Both of Jean's numbers were great, and I like the interraction between Jean and the orchestra (though it seems awkward that Nigel and that clarinet player don't get any lines). I wonder what Crazy Harry was laughing at in the first backstage scene. And I had expected the main backstage plot to be about Miss Piggy's jealousy over Annie Sue being in the melodrama. Nitpick:Miss Piggy was mad at Kermit over what happened in the melodrama, but Kermit never asked her to be in it. Cool thing: Zoot says his only line this season.

Alice Cooper - five stars
The best part of this episode is the closing number, School's Out, which is also one of the few numbers with a group of full-body monsters where Thog is included.

Loretta Lynn - five stars
This episode feels more like a Muppet special than a regular episode, since it takes place at the railroad station. The one-time opening and closing numbers are good (I noticed that Louis Kazagger is in the special opening, even though he hadn't appeared yet). Loretta's opening and closing numbers are both perfect. I really like Kermit and Gonzo on the cart rail. But it seems like there must have been an uncredited performer in this episode. Loretta's first number includes all six jugband members and Sweetums, and Zeke is a live-hand puppet in this, with an extra performer obviously operating the hands. I wonder who the extra performer was.

Liberace - three stars
This episode is both boring and in teresting. It's one of the few to begin in a backstage area after the opening, one of the few where The Swedish Chef is shown without a hat (even if there is still something on top of his head), and it's the only tiem Fletcherbird talks. But the majority of the Liberace concert, taking up almost the entire second half, is mostly boring, especially when there aren;t any Muppet-style Muppets on-stage. But the closing number is awesome!

Marissa Berensen - five stars
The plotline of Miss Piggy staging a wedding sketch and attempting to trick Kermit into marriage is great, though I wonder if Kermit suspected Piggy of planning a trick all along. The onyl dull parts of this episode are the openign number, Marissa's first number, and the UK spot. But the best are "Do Rei Me" and "You're Always Welcome at Our House".

Raquel Welch - four stars
Raquel's opening number is one of the best part, thanks in part to her skimpy costume, but the music and lyrics are honestly better than her other two numbers. But the closing number is best as a closing number (even though if they were switched she'd probably wear that costume in the goodnights..). The backstage plot, At the Dance, the Marvin Suggs interview, and The Swedish Chef's classic "chicken in the baskett" sketch are also really terriffic in this episode.

James Coco - three stars
While James Coco states that this show has pace, I don't really see it in this epsidoe (maybe that was intentional?). Compared to other epsiodes, this one is a bit slow. We don't get multiple sketches in a row without a backstage scene (or commercial break) in-between, and the guest star's first number is a bit long. The best parts of this episode are the opening number, the UK spot, and the closing number. Nitpick:In the closing number, why is Mahna Mahna wearing what looks like furry antennaes on his head?

Helen Reddy - four stars
Beauregard gets a proper introduction, but I wonder, is this the only time he actually did janitorial work on the show? Helen Reddy's first and last nubmers are good, though I rarely pay much attention to her middle number (it seems to me that whenever a guest star has three numbers that the middle number is the least enjoyable, but that's sort of a good thing). Tie Me Kangaroo Down is a great short piece, but I wodner why they chose to use generic whatnot hillbillies as opposed to teh jugband (though I feel like that number would have been more appropriate for the first jugband).

And now, here are my thoughts on the disc 3 epsiodes, but first, I'd like to talk about something. I had previously thought that The Muppet Movie was made after this season was completed, but before the DVD release I had read on the Tough Pigs forum that it was made between the Helen Reddy and Harry Belafonte episodes, and it does show a bit. At this point, Gladys is pretty much droped, the canteen is rarely seen (though it wasn't shown much in the first half of the season), and some of the puppets are rebuilt and improved. I guess it's this point when the company that made the material used for Kermit went out of buisness, and the new material makes Kermit's felt texture less noticable (though I think a noticibly felt textured Kermit is still used on Sesame Street and some other productions for awhile longer). Also, Kermit's arms and legs look a bit more plump.

But anyway, here ar emy opinions:

Harry Belafonte - three stars
This may have been Jim Henson's favorite episode, and Belafonte's numbers may be the most memorable to casual fans, but I find his numbers long and boring. But the rest of the show is great, with the backstage plot, Pigs in Space, Muppet Sports, and everything else. Still, I wodner why Steve Whitmire didn't perform in this episode.

Leslie Ann Warren - five stars
This is truly an underrated episode. It wasn't included on the time life releases, and fans don't usually cite it as one of the best, but I like everything about it. The Uk spot with Dr. Teeth and Sam is terriffic, Gonzo's motocycle act is a classic moment, the runnign gag invovling Lelsie Ann Warren's name is funny, Lelsie is really pretty, and all of her numbers just get better and better. And it has appearances by both Doglion and Marvin Suggs.

Danny Kaye - four stars
This was the first episode from this season that I saw. It's also the last episode of the season to show the canteen, though people like me who previously hadn't seen any canteen scenes wouldn't know what the area was. The lunchtime skecth is funny, as is Statler and Waldorf leaving the show.

Spike Milligan - five stars
This episode is a lot better than I'd expected. Many obscure characters (and not jsut whatnots) are used as the foreign characters. And hey, Wayne actually gets to complete a number!Nitpicks:The UK spot doesn't seem to reflect the international theme of the show. It takes palce in a park, which could be in either the US, the UK, Canada, or somewhere else. Also, due to the limited number of performers, when the people from different companeis invade the Electric Mayhem's number, various members disapear by the end of the number.

Leslie Uggam - five stars
Another winner episode, especially since Big Bird is in it. It's a shame that Big Bird didn't appear with the full-body monsters, and a shame that Fletcher Bird wasn't in it (considering Graham Fletcher performed in it). Interestingly, this is the only epsidoe of the season where other Royal Opera House dancers besides Graham Fletcher are credited. It's interesting how Camilla sneezes her way out of her dressing room and through a window in Muppet Labs (does that mean her dressing room was right behind the stage?). While this is Camilla's first appearance, she was refered to by name in the Liberace episode, and did appear in The Muppet Movie, produced before this episode.

Elke Sommers - five stars
Another highly underrated episode. At the very least, it should appeal to hardcore fans. I like both of the baby bands numbers, though they are too similar (if shown a still image from one of them I don't think I could guess which number it's from). The backstage plot with Beaker and Beauregar dis brilliant. The firs ttime Beauregard works as a stagehand, though in this epsiode it seems like they might have been freelance repairmen. The two-part Pigs in Space sketch is good.Nitpicks:We actually see Link Hoghtrobs legs in his Pigs in Space costume, and the shoes don't match the action figures shoes. And it seems odd that Beaker has to hide from Bo at the beginning, yet later he's around him without any fear or conflict.

Sylvester Stallone - four stars
This epsidoe is a lot better than I'd remembered, though it seems to have the quality of a chidlren's weekday afternoon show. The opening number, Beauregard in the william tell overture, both of Sylvester Stallone's numbers, and and the robot comedian are great, but I don't really like Sylvester Stallone's dressing room scenes, or the backstage plot involving the groupies (thankfully it ends before the UK spot).

Okay... Finally... Here are my opinions on the remainign episodes, and the special features.

Roger Miller - five stars
Roger Miller worked so well with the Muppets. It's a shame he didn't do more with them. His numbers just keep getting better in the epsidoe. The Cluck-Itis runnign gag is hilarious, though it does start getting tiresome by the time of Pop Goes the Weasle (but does become funny again when Kermit turns into a chicken).Minor Nitpick:The UK spot, taking place at an obviously british bar, should have been the UK spot in the Spike Milligan episode.

Roy Rogers and Dale Evans - 3 stars
I don't care much for the cowboy theme. But I do like Deep in the Heart of Texas, Muppet Sports, and Bear on Patrol (how odd that only the third sketch in the series is experimental).

Lynn Redgrave - five stars
I hadn't seen this one in a long time, but it's a lot better than I'd remembered. Almost the entire season three cast is included (with main exceptions being Bunsen, Rowlf, Robin, and most of The Electric Mayhem). It's a wonder that this wasn't released in the Time-Life series, and that none of it was included in Children's Songs and Stories. After all, all of the songs in this epsiode were written especially for the episode, so there wouldn't be any music rights issues there.

Cheryl Ladd - five stars
Although this episode was recorded much earlier, it is a perfect end to the season. All of Cheryl's numbers are great, with the closing having such a beautiful sound and setting. The first few times I watched it was disturbing seeing Kermit get beat up in I Enjoy Being a Girl (and especially hard to watch the guets star hit Kermit with a pie), but now I enjoy it. Gonzo's act was great, but Fozzie's plot hardly goes anywhere.

And now for my thoughts on the bonus material:

The Muppets on Puppets - four stars
A great early Muppet production. The highlights are Rowlf reading a story and the closing puppet sketch. Most o it is good, but it usually gets boring when the focus is on regular non-Muppet-style puppets.

Purina Commercials - five stars
These quick bits are hilarious, and the best of the special features. Baskerville really should have continued as a main character.

A Company of Players - five stars
Also good, even if it doesn't have much I didn't know already. Nitpick: Jerry Juhl claism that Miss Piggy wa sunnamed in the Temptation number, but that's not true (though I guess faulty memory). Piggy was referred to by name in that scene, was already called Miss Piggy in the 1974 Herb Albert special, and it's said that she was originally going to be called Miss Piggy Lee.

Alice Cooper - five stars
The best part of this episode is the closing number, School's Out, which is also one of the few numbers with a group of full-body monsters where Thog is included.

Loretta Lynn - five stars
This episode feels more like a Muppet special than a regular episode, since it takes place at the railroad station. The one-time opening and closing numbers are good (I noticed that Louis Kazagger is in the special opening, even though he hadn't appeared yet). Loretta's opening and closing numbers are both perfect. I really like Kermit and Gonzo on the cart rail. But it seems like there must have been an uncredited performer in this episode. Loretta's first number includes all six jugband members and Sweetums, and Zeke is a live-hand puppet in this, with an extra performer obviously operating the hands. I wonder who the extra performer was.

Liberace - three stars
This episode is both boring and in teresting. It's one of the few to begin in a backstage area after the opening, one of the few where The Swedish Chef is shown without a hat (even if there is still something on top of his head), and it's the only tiem Fletcherbird talks. But the majority of the Liberace concert, taking up almost the entire second half, is mostly boring, especially when there aren;t any Muppet-style Muppets on-stage. But the closing number is awesome!

Marissa Berensen - five stars
The plotline of Miss Piggy staging a wedding sketch and attempting to trick Kermit into marriage is great, though I wonder if Kermit suspected Piggy of planning a trick all along. The onyl dull parts of this episode are the openign number, Marissa's first number, and the UK spot. But the best are "Do Rei Me" and "You're Always Welcome at Our House".

Raquel Welch - four stars
Raquel's opening number is one of the best part, thanks in part to her skimpy costume, but the music and lyrics are honestly better than her other two numbers. But the closing number is best as a closing number (even though if they were switched she'd probably wear that costume in the goodnights..). The backstage plot, At the Dance, the Marvin Suggs interview, and The Swedish Chef's classic "chicken in the baskett" sketch are also really terriffic in this episode.

James Coco - three stars
While James Coco states that this show has pace, I don't really see it in this epsidoe (maybe that was intentional?). Compared to other epsiodes, this one is a bit slow. We don't get multiple sketches in a row without a backstage scene (or commercial break) in-between, and the guest star's first number is a bit long. The best parts of this episode are the opening number, the UK spot, and the closing number. Nitpick:In the closing number, why is Mahna Mahna wearing what looks like furry antennaes on his head?

Helen Reddy - four stars
Beauregard gets a proper introduction, but I wonder, is this the only time he actually did janitorial work on the show? Helen Reddy's first and last nubmers are good, though I rarely pay much attention to her middle number (it seems to me that whenever a guest star has three numbers that the middle number is the least enjoyable, but that's sort of a good thing). Tie Me Kangaroo Down is a great short piece, but I wodner why they chose to use generic whatnot hillbillies as opposed to teh jugband (though I feel like that number would have been more appropriate for the first jugband).

I'll try to give my thoughts on dsic 3's epsidoes later tonight.

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you know my faverite part of season 3 is requel welch and cheryal ladd .

They did such a good job on the show .

love them both so much in anything they are a part of my child hood . LOL i watched both ladies in TV movies with my mom and we still do watch them to this day .

There are a few things I noticed about this season when watching the set.

One, it seems that many of the introductions for the opening numbers this year are a bit long, often with interruptions Think about it - Miss Piggy comes out from behind the curtain to tell Kermit what her number with Kris Kristofferson is, Leslie Ann Warren comes on-stage to settle some confusion, Raquel Welch's openign number is delayed by interruptions by both Miss Piggy and Scooter, Fozzie interrupts the intro to Roy Clark's opening number, Fozzie interrupts one introduction to make a joke regarding Jean Stapleton's name... A lot of long interruptions before the opening numbers.

Two, I noticed that scene transitions are less common this season. The previous seasosn had a lot of transitions, even during introductions (where it was not uncommon for Kermit or whoever to make an introduction and then, instead of raising the curtains, the frame slid to the side or somethign like that). This season still has the occassional transitions, usually just fading, but for the most cut scenes usually cut to the enxt scene and the curtaisn always raise during introductions.

Three, it seems like some characters appear less this year, even though they had somewhat major roles (in one case just being important enough to have his name in the credits) in The Muppet Movie. I am referring to Dr. Teeth, Sweetums, and Crazy Harry (the last one being the one I'm referring to whow as important enough to be credited). they all appeared a lot in the previous two seasons (Crazy Harry wasn't really there that much in the first two, but his number of appearances in both of the first two seasons were almost equal, while this season it's just two or three). And looking at their Muppet Wiki filmographies they continue to appear less throughout the series (though I think Dr. Teeth makes more appearances in the next two seasons). Dr. Teeth is hardly ever seen this year, and when he is, mit's usually a non-speaking background performance. He only has line sin three episodes, two of which are UK spots.

Four, and this is related to the last thing, is that The Electric Mayhem doesn't make many appearances as a group. Floyd, Animal, Janice, and Zoot are all seen alot, though often only one or two appear at a time. Janice is often seen in Veterinarian's Hospital, but rarely seen as a musician this season. The episode has quite a few numbers where te orhcestra performs, but Dr. Teeth and Jancie aren't part of the orchestra. The first two opening numbers feature the band providing back-up, but they arn't too noticiable in those numbers (unlike earlier numbers where they provided back-up, like Lou Rawls' "You're the One" and Elton John's numbers).

Yea by far season 3 is the best, just for the varity of show that we get. A show done at a train station, One saluting the nations, and then the Robin Hood one. I realized i never watched disc 4 just the bonus featuers! I loved Spke Mullagen, with Sam the Eagle and the Newsman. He was also very funny in the parade of Nations. Thowing a pillow at Kermit, and just abusing poor sam to death. That was one of the rare times the the gust is just as crazy as the Muppets!

You know what i am about to say about season 3 that might get food though at me, that kind of did not like that skit with them LOL is the fact, that i love the duet that miss miss piggy sings with Kris krisstoferson( sorry i could not think how to spell his last name could only get it close ) I really love that song , i mean the song that they sing called help me make it though the night . I thought the duet was really cute .